Back in the Saddle
by philly cheese dude
Summary: It's been 12 years since LA. A human Angel makes a living in a city not known for what hides in the darkness. And he's okay with that. However, call it fate, call it destiny, call it whatever has a funny way of messing with him.
1. Prologue

**_So, it seems like I got bit by the writing bug again lol. And low and behold, I have a ton of time on my hands. This has been rolling around in my head for weeks. I've had a long journey in returning back here. I've lurked, no doubt, I've reviewed, always, but I just haven't felt like writing. At least until I saw an anime called JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. Incredible anime that I actually drew inspiration from. So this one will be heavily influenced by that anime. Now, I can't say how much I'll be writing but I'm gonna try my damndest to keep updating. I'm about to start working on the next chapter soon. And btw, I did delete 2 other stories because I lost my muse for them, except Demon in the Gang. I'm trying to plot how that story will end up, I have general ideas but unsure how I want to take it. So, enough talking, let's get this show on the road._**

 ** _Disclaimer: I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, that belongs to Joss and company._**

 ** _{^_^}_**

 ** _Houston, Texas  
Midtown  
_** ** _January 2016_**

The sounds of various dance music filled the night sky. Cars crept by, taxis slowed to pick up fares, and the police patrolled the area for would be criminals. A typical Saturday night in Space City, yet he paid no mind to it. He leaned into the balcony of his large, spacious apartment overlooking this part of Houston, but hardly paid attention. The ever rolodex that is his mind was currently spinning as he relieved various points of his life that got him to his current life.

It was a simple life too, at least compared to what it used to be. He never thought he would end up as a bodyguard to various CEOs, VPs, and other important figure heads that called Houston home. At one time, he thought that he would die in an alley, battling hordes of evil as a consequence of severing the largest evil the world had seen. That single act of defiance, that one single precise blow was what the good guys needed to take the upper hand in the fight against the darkness. Or at least what the massive army of fighting women needed to control the tide of their never-ending war.

Though that fight, at least for him, was over. It ended with a dragon on the ground and a tiny, blonde woman saying a scathing goodbye that still made him wince when he remembered, but that's a story for another time. He always thought the Powers-That-Be were a bunch of angst loving fools when he became human a few hours after that incident.

The man formally known as the vampire Angel shook his head and sighed and headed inside his apartment. He passed by a small, glass table, setting his forgotten drink on a coaster. As he passed by he pondered on how he managed to stop fighting the good fight. He knew what was out there, what laid hidden in the darkness of the night. He stayed far away from it, yet stayed close with his various decisions.

He stopped at a certain part of the hallway leading to his room and stared at the various Navy decorations he amounted during his quasi re-enlistment. He smirked and shook his head when he recalled his brushes with the Initiative while he was in the Navy SEALs. How Riley never spotted him, he would never know. No wait, he did know, the US government spent thousands of dollars fine tuning him into a lethal weapon, even though he technically was with his centuries of experience, but learning something new never hurt anybody much.

He entered his bedroom and made his way to the closet. Angel headed over to the closet and flipped through various articles of clothes till he saw a fine Italian made suit that cost a pretty penny. He gently picked it out and laid it out onto his bed and stripped off his clothes. He threw his discarded clothing into the dirty hamper and walked back into the closet. The former vampire picked out a matching pair of shoes and also pulled out a heavy suit case.

He placed the suit case on the bed and opened the lock. Angel sighed as he spotted his "work equipment" which consisted of a bullet proof vest, a .45 caliber Sig Saur with a shoulder holster, a .380 snub nose revolver in its ankle holster and several magazines for his pistol. Angel then dressed into the suit, with the vest and weapons well hidden by his long, sleeved shirt and coat jacket respectively. His watch, handkerchief, and wallet finished his wardrobe.

The sound of his cell phone broke the silence of the bedroom and he made his way over to it. _Be downstairs in 10. VIP is ready to roll out,_ a text flashed on the screen. _'Cordy would be so proud,'_ he thought to himself as he quickly replied back to the text.

 _Who is the VIP this time?_

 _Zeppeli again it seems._

Angel sighed and shook his head. _That freak again?_

 _Yep,_ came the quick reply.

 _'_ _Oh well, it'll be a nice check though,'_ he thought to himself.

 _I'm here._

 _Coming down,_ Angel replied and made his way out of the apartment. So now this was his life. From being known as the Scourge of Europe to the once Champion of the PTB to even the once CEO of the Los Angeles Branch of the now defunct Wolfram and Hart.

As he made his way out of the building, his partner Brian nodded at him. "Ready Seeley?"

These days he wasn't called Angel anymore. Angel is long dead and gone. He died in an alley fighting a dragon in a valiant effort to show evil that their hold on this plane wasn't absolute. He died giving the Slayers a chance to fight on an even field. He died as the Slayer general tore his heart out brutally, metaphorically, but brutally. Yeah, Angel was dead and gone.

These days, his name was Liam Seeley Davenport, bodyguard to the rich and famous.

Cordy would be proud.

"Always."


	2. An evening jog

**Howdy all to another chapter! I'm actually enjoying writing this story and excited to write more. So thanks to those that reviewed and all! And yes, there was a small Bones reference in the last chapter. Now on with the story.**

 **Disclaimer: Joss and company owns the Buffyverse.**

 **[{^_^}]**

 ** _Houston, Texas  
Two weeks later_**

'It's always busy here,' Angel thought to himself as he rounded a corner on his daily run. It was a Thursday evening, yet the city's Midtown district was lively with young adults enjoying their evenings in the various bars, clubs, and restaurants grouped closely together. He didn't pay any mind to them. He was focused to the run; the feeling of his feet pounding the pavement, the music flowing into his ears through his earbuds. Even though it's been over a decade since he was turned human, Angel could never quite get used to the feel of his lungs expanding and contracting, his heart pounding away inside his chest.

It was exhilarating still to this day.

He rounded another corner and the area started becoming a bit more dilapidated. 'Hmm, 5th ward it seems,' Angel thought to himself. Considered one of the city's oldest districts, 5th ward is full of colorful dive bars and small mom & pop joints that are almost as old as the city itself! Yet, it was one of the highest areas for crime. A good number of Houston's robbery, homicides, and assaults can be attributed to this ward.

Angel was prepared though. Many times Angel has managed to prevent something happening to him with his infamous glare. The same glare he used during his days as Angelus before he killed. The same glare he used as the Champion for the higher ups. Human Angel could still strike fear in the heart of would be enemies. So people around this ward always gave him a wide berth.

He rounded another corner and noticed that he close to Eleonore Tinsley Park, one of the oldest parks in the city. It straddled Buffalo Bayou and was fairly dark during this time, but he didn't care. He just concentrated on his run.

He made his way down a flight of stairs leading to a track that ran the length of the park and followed it in a light and steady pace. Other later night runners passed by and he acknowledged them with a nod, receiving one back. He ran up another flight of stairs as the underpass was closed off due to the colony of bats living under one of the cities overpasses. On many days, passerby's flock to the overpass to catch a glimpse of the entire colony taking flight to feed and stretch their wings. Some nights the colony stay put and decide to rest. Seemed like this night they stayed as Angel could hear their chirps and squeaks from the top of the overpass.

'Time to head back home and get ready,' he thought to himself as he turned to jog back home.

[^_^]

'Hmm,' he thought to himself as he jogged through a rare quiet part of Midtown. This place always gave him the creeps. Too many abandoned buildings. A number of homeless people gathered near this area as they squatted here and there. The general public avoided this area all the time, even during the day!

Many times, Angel noticed a few cars speed by here, paying no mind to various traffic laws, they just wanted out of this small section. Angel though, made this part of his daily jog. Nobody dared to mess with the former vampire, mainly because they ignored him and he ignored them. It was just one of those things.

Though it seemed on this night, the ominous feeling of the place seemed to strengthen. He noticed a small group of the local folk gathered at the mouth of an alley. Alleyways didn't really exist in Houston. Here and there you could find them, but it wasn't like Los Angeles or Sunnydale with multiple alleyways all over the place. When there was an alleyway, most of the time there was a squatter or two making a home there. Usually they were closer to Downtown as many of the city's homeless shelters could be found there.

However, when there was a crowd of people at an alleyway, it usually was a sign of a crime happening or a shocking discovery.

As Angel passed by, he ripped his earbuds out of his ear and he could hear a few people talking excitedly among themselves.

"Oh man, they really did take them down there!" One squatter told the man next to him.

"Man they was fightin' those bastards the whole way. Poor kids," an older squatter replied back with a nod.

Angel slowed his pace and eventually stopped as he gathered information. "What's going on?" He asked curiously.

"Not too sure. Saw two girls walkin' by here comin' from that bar 'Howl at the Sun' or whatever the hell is called, drunk as hell. 2 dudes were followin'em and jump'em here it seems," one of the squatters informed him.

"Yep, the broads yelled loudly, but you know ain't not help gonna come by till hours later," another squatter mentioned.

"Shit," Angel muttered to himself. This was one of those things that wouldn't have mattered back when he was a vampire. He would swoop in, save the dames and beat down the bad guys. These days, he was older. He was practically 38! Sure he probably could win due to his background, but did he really want to mix it up with 2 potentially armed men?

"Has anyone gone down there to help them?" Angel asked as he could now hear sounds of muffled yelling making its way down to the group.

"Ol' Marv went down to try and run them off, but he an old fart. Still thinks he can lay a whuppin' yet he forgets he north of 60," the squatter that saw the girls walking told him.

"Damn it," Angel said as his mind raced with unsureness. "Fuck it, can't let something happen to them." He turned the squatter next to him, "What's your name?"

"Dave," the man replied.

"Here," Angel said as he handed over his phone unlocked. "Call the police, tell them that there is an armed assault happening here. That should get them coming quicker."

As Dave started to dial, he looked up to Angel, "What if you get really hurt or worse?"

"Then keep the phone," he replied back as he made his way down the dark alleyway.

[^_^]

"What the fuck am I doing?" Angel asked himself for the millionth time as he got closer to the sounds of fighting. Ever since he turned back human, he avoided these situations. He didn't care about the welfare of others that much anymore. He could attribute that to his final days in Los Angeles. Hell, Angel could tell you the exact time and place he just simply stopped caring about anything but himself.

Ironic really when this same person ran away to join the Navy and he was forced to care about his fellow soldiers. Though that was a different scenario and a different time. These days were different.

Angel was brought out of his thoughts as a heard the terrified cry of a young woman. "Please stop!"

"Why? The fun is just getting started!" A male voiced exclaimed in a perverse joy.

Angel waited for a familiar growl, out of experience, he would never know. Yet when he heard nothing, he was oddly disappointed. He quickly recalled one of his first nights in LA after HER and Sunnydale and decided to use that here.

"'Scuse me, but hav' ya seen my car?" Angel said drunkenly. He gazed around, seeing one of the girls on the ground with her shirt ripped off and her fighting a losing effort in trying to cover herself. A young man was kneeling in between her legs, the fly of his pants halfway open. The other girl was pinned on the wall with the other man trying to rip her skirt off. All of their fighting ceased as Angel got the attention of all of them. "It's ah, big and shiny."

He walked up to the man pinning the girl to the wall and gave him a goofy smile. "Say what are y'all doin?"

"Piss off pal!" The man yelled to Angel's face.

'Just like old times,' Angel thought to himself. "Ew, you need a mint pal."

The girl used to momentary distraction and kicked the man in the jewels, causing him to let her go and grabbed his injured groin. Angel took advantage and kneed the man in the face hard, sending him flying to the ground. He rounded on the other man and grabbed him by the lapels of his jacket. Angel used all his strength and flung him to some metal trashcans, freeing the girl on the ground. Her friend grabbed her and pulled her to her feet and both of them looked shocked at seeing Angel take on both men with skilled techniques honed by centuries of combat.

Angel jabbed away at the man he kneed in the face, quickly sending him back down on the ground. The other man got up frown the trashcans and charged at Angel. He slammed the former vampire on the wall, but didn't expect Angel to bounce off and duck, causing the man to smash his face on the wall. "Well that's gotta hurt," Angel quipped as he noticed the young man holding his broken nose.

"My nose! My nose! You broke it!" The assailant said as he held his bleeding and broken nose.

"No that would be the wall, not me," Angel mentioned with a shrug.

"Watch out!" One of the girls yelled.

Angel ducked and narrowly missed the 2-by-4 hitting him. The beam instead struck the broken nose guy, knocking him out.

"Steve!" His friend yelled in horror at knocking his friend out.

"Hey dumbass," Angel said as he tapped him on the back. Steve's friend turned quickly, only to be met by a powerful spinning roundhouse kick, knocking him down to the ground.

"Everyone stop and get your hands up!" A strong voice yelled behind Angel.

Angel shot his hands up and stood still. "Those 2 are the ones you want." He mentioned.

"Right now it doesn't matter. Now get down on the ground," the officer yelled. Angel cursed to himself laid himself down, not wanting to encourage the wrath of the officer. He felt a knee on his back and then hands patting him down. A hand reached and grabbed his wallet from his pants and then he felt both hands being placed together. Cold steel surrounded his wrists and the sound of handcuffs cut through the tense silence.

He felt himself being lifted and he managed to see more cops filling the alleyway before he put his head down with smile forming on his face. 'Still got it.'

[^_^]

A few hours later, Angel found himself at his apartment pondering the events of the night. Once he gave his statement to the police, they decided to let him go once the girls and his background check gave him the all clear. The two perps were known criminals with each having an extensive and colorful background. In fact, they were in the middle of a crime spree in the area so the police thanked Angel for bringing them down. The two girls were also thankful, swearing up and down that they would never stay out that late and drink that much again.

Angel was just amused by the whole thing and quickly moved on from this event. His phone rang, signaling a text message. He pulled out and checked it.

 _Zeppeli calls for us. Downstairs in 10._

Angel sighed as he read the text. Zeppeli, is an interesting, yet eccentric man that was the CEO of a corporation called the Speedwagon Corporation. What they did, Ange didn't have a clue or care really. All he knew was that the man paid good and well and was a regular customer. Plus, he always requested Brian and himself so they knew who he was. Or they at least thought they knew him.

 _Got it,_ Angel replied back. He quickly dressed himself in his work suit and made his way down the stairs. He looked as the armored car rolled and made his way outside. As he slid into the passenger seat and nodded to Brian, Angel failed to notice a figure standing across the street. A figure with angry yellow eyes and mouthful of fangs.

The figure produced a cellphone from its pants and dialed a number. The other line picked up and the figure spoke, "They are on the move."


End file.
